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| 06/01/1941 |
The Luftwaffe launches
its first attacks against British convoys bound for Malta in
the Mediterranean. |
| 10/01/1941 |
German aircraft surprise the Mediterranean
fleet, which is escorting 3 merchant ships to Greece. 40 Ju-87
Stukas attack them, scoring 6 hits on HMS Illustrious and severely
damaging her. HMS Warspite also receive damage. Both ships
make for Malta and arrive the next day. |
| 11/01/1941 |
The Cruisers HMS Southampton and HMS
Gloucester are attacked by German aircraft in the Sicilian
channel. HMS Gloucester receives damage, while HMS Southampton
is sunk. British submarine's begin to make attacks German and
Italian convoys crossing to Libya. |
| 22/01/1941 |
The Destroyer HMS Hyperion sunk by
mine off Cape Bon. |
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| 08/02/1941 |
Force H from Malta bombards
Genoa, without hindrance from the Italian Navy or Air force. |
| 23/02/1941 |
Stuka's sink a British Destroyer and
the Monitor Terror off the North African coast, near Tobruk. |
| 25/02/1941 |
The British submarine, HMS Upholder,
sinks the Italian Cruiser Armando Diaz to the southwest of
Malta. |
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| 05/03/1941 |
The Royal Navy begins
escorting British and Commonwealth troop convoys from Egypt
to Greece. |
| 19/03/1941 |
German Naval staff complain to the
Italians about their lack of effort to intercept British convoys
to Greece. |
| 26/03/1941 |
The British Cruiser York, is severely
damaged and then beached at Suda Bay in Crete, when it is hit
by an Italian motor boat loaded with explosives. |
| 28/03/1941 |
In an attempt to intercept British
convoys sailing to Greece, the Italian navy puts a force of
1 Battleship, 8 Cruisers and 9 Destroyers out to sea. However,
they are spotted by an RAF flying boat which alerts Admiral
Cunningham who orders the Mediterranean fleet to slip anchor
and intercept the Italians the next day. |
| 29/03/1941 |
The Italians spot a British convoy
escorted by 4 Cruisers and 4 Destroyers and close in. The British
ships lure the Italians towards the main body of the Mediterranean
Fleet which includes 3 battleships and the Aircraft Carrier
HMS Formidable. HMS Formidable launches aircraft which attack
and hit the Italian Battleship Vittorio Veneto with a torpedo,
although it manages to limp back to Taranto. Later, they also
hit the Cruiser Pola which is seriously damaged. The Italians
decide to withdraw and detach 2 cruisers and 4 Destroyers to
assist the damaged Cruiser Pola. However, the British intercept
them and sink the Cruiser Pola and its 2 escort Cruisers Zara
and Fiume as well as 2 of the escorting Destroyers. British
losses total just 2 aircraft. |
| 31/03/1941 |
Italian naval forces sink the British
Cruiser, HMS Bonaventure off Crete. |
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| 12/05/1941 |
A British convoy, codenamed
'Tiger', arrives at Alexandria with much needed tanks and aircraft. |
| 20/05/1941 |
The Royal Navy Minesweeper Widnes
is sunk by Luftwaffe planes near Suda Bay in Crete. |
| 21/05/1941 |
Royal Navy sinks several small German
troop boats, helping to thwart the sea borne invasion of Crete.
The Luftwaffe sinks the British Destroyer Juno and damages
the Cruiser Ajax, southwest of Crete. |
| 22/05/1941 |
Heavy German air attacks on Crete
sink the cruisers Fiji, Gloucester and York and the destroyer
Greyhound. The Battleships HMS Warspite and HMS Valiant are
damaged, but the Royal Navy manages to break up a German supply
convoy. |
| 23/05/1941 |
Luftwaffe sinks two more British destroyers
of Crete, Kashmir and Kelly. |
| 26/05/1941 |
The Aircraft carrier Formidable is
severely damaged in Mediterranean by Stukas. |
| 29/05/1941 |
During the evacuation of British troops
from Crete, a Luftwaffe attack on the cruiser Orion inflicts
200 casualties and sinks British destroyers Imperial and Hereward. |
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| 01/06/1941 |
Stukas sink the British
cruiser Calcutta off Alexandria. |
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| 23/07/1941 |
Vital convoy reaches Malta
after two-day battle; HMS Fearless is sunk. |
| 25/07/1941 |
Italian motorboats with
33 Italian naval assault troops attempt to enter Valletta harbour
on the island of Malta to attack British ships, but are discovered.
All eight boats are sunk with 15 men being killed and 18 taken
prisoner. |
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| 09/11/1941 |
Royal Navy Surface Force
K from Malta annihilates an Italian convoy of seven supply
ships and sinks two destroyers. |
| 13/11/1941 |
Aircraft carrier Ark Royal is torpedoed
off Gibraltar by U-81 and later sinks. |
| 25/11/1941 |
U-331 (Kplt. Tiesenhausen) sinks the
British battleship Barham in the Mediterranean. |
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| 02/12/1941 |
Hitler issues Directive
No.38 which tasks Kesselring as C-in-C South, with gaining
naval supremacy over the area between southern Italy and Libya
in order to deny British supplies to Malta and Libya. To assist
with this, he was reinforced with Fleiger Korps II, which was
transferred from Russia. |
| 13/12/1941 |
The British manage to turn back an
Italian convoy, which is taking supplies to Libya, by making
it believe that its under threat from the Mediterranean Fleet. |
| 14/12/1941 |
Royal Navy destroyers
sink two Italian Light Cruisers off Cape Bon. Both Cruisers
were carrying much needed fuel for Panzer Armee Afrika. U-557
sinks the British Cruiser Galatea outside of Alexandria harbour. |
| 19/12/1941 |
Frogmen of the Italian Navy penetrate
the port of Alexandria in Egypt and cripple the British battleships
HMS Valiant and Queen Elizabeth, along with a destroyer and
a tanker. This means that Cunningham had lost all his battleships
and could no longer muster a force strong enough to take on
the Italian fleet. |
